[Halifax] Battle of the Atlantic Place | -- | -- | Proposed

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

Its a patriotic drivel war memorial to shove down our throats thats being proposed here simply because its where most of the military is....

Halifax was a significant port in WWII, and the place where goods and service men & women would collect before transatlantic travel into a war. It's more than just a war memorial... it's the last ship of its kind and was critical to winning the war, sure... but it also marks Canada starting to be taken seriously internationally, and momentum to improve the industrial capability of the nation. Before the war, there were 1 or 2 shipyards even capable of building these types of sea-going vessels. After, more than 100. During the war, Canada was charged with control over all the Allied forces in the North Atlantic. A pretty serious battle theatre, given the value of the food, raw materials, weaponry and people that went from west to east across the Atlantic, sustaining a seriously damaged Allied force in Europe.

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

War memorial musumes are not major tourist attractions, if you flew to any major city in the world would vising one of their war musumes even cross your mind to go to?

I was visiting Montreal, and took a trip to Ottawa JUST to see the (beautiful, btw) war museum there.

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

I've been to places in Europe plenty of times and I'm sure they have war musumes but its not something that I've been like hey that would be a top priority to see, I bet they have some cool old tanks and guns "yawn".

Well - this may not be the type of place you'd want to visit then. Not everyone is like you.

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

The hmcs sackville is fine to view from the boardwalk but ifs its getting past the point to maintain than let the bloody thing sink into the harbour somewhere or off the coast and have a ceremony for it.

There are plenty of options for the ship, including taking it out of the water permanently, or, as you suggest, sinking it. Personally, I'm not sure why they feel it's important to keep the thing in water - seems like it just makes the type of ideal interior conditions harder to keep.

[halifaxboyns]

I have to agree with @eastcoastal on his comment - War and the loss of life are a part of Halifax and our history. The huge convoys in the Bedford Basin, the Halifax explosion and numerous other aspects. So whether we like it or not War is a part of Halifax's existence and remains a part of it's being (the military bases, employment, etc.).

I certainly wouldn't sink the ship - that's not an option in my opinion. But there are always options for how to move forward. I have to admit, I find naval history fascinating and a lot of others do too. But it's not everyone's cup of tea...

[Ziobrop]

xanaxanax and keith p are perfect examples of the culture of defeat.
"its too expensive" "We should spend the money on X, Y, and Z" why should everything we do be cheap?

the trust wants to build a building, and they did a proper job. they will need to come up with the funds - but they think its doable - so why dont we support them.
you want a stadium, aquarium, theater? go start a group and build one. just because someone wants to do something great that you dont care about doesnt mean they deserve your lash.

your criticism is petty, does nothing to advance the public realm in Halifax. please stop. Sticking Sackville in the armory is not practical, and removes the artifact from context. HMCS Sackville is the last of her type in the world. She is worth preserving. properly.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

xanaxanax and keith p are perfect examples of the culture of defeat.
"its too expensive" "We should spend the money on X, Y, and Z" why should everything we do be cheap?

the trust wants to build a building, and they did a proper job. they will need to come up with the funds - but they think its doable - so why dont we support them.
you want a stadium, aquarium, theater? go start a group and build one. just because someone wants to do something great that you dont care about doesnt mean they deserve your lash.

your criticism is petty, does nothing to advance the public realm in Halifax. please stop. Sticking Sackville in the armory is not practical, and removes the artifact from context. HMCS Sackville is the last of her type in the world. She is worth preserving. properly.

Well said.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Well said.

Nonsense, as usual.

It is all well and good to claim that the Trust will be paying for this from fundraising efforts. The problem, as we all know, is that a substantial portion of the $200 million is expected to come from the 3 levels of govt, i.e. the taxpayer. That means that there will be no public funds for other more worthwhile projects should this proceed - and there is a strong likelihood of it doing so because of the sensitive nature of saying no to veterans right now. Add to that the rather questionable use of a prime piece of waterfront land and the Trust's claim to that site and some serious questions need to be answered.

Frankly, I can think of 10 other things I would rather see in the public realm than this.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Nonsense, as usual.

It is all well and good to claim that the Trust will be paying for this from fundraising efforts. The problem, as we all know, is that a substantial portion of the $200 million is expected to come from the 3 levels of govt, i.e. the taxpayer. That means that there will be no public funds for other more worthwhile projects should this proceed - and there is a strong likelihood of it doing so because of the sensitive nature of saying no to veterans right now. Add to that the rather questionable use of a prime piece of waterfront land and the Trust's claim to that site and some serious questions need to be answered.

Frankly, I can think of 10 other things I would rather see in the public realm than this.

So who determines if they are worth while? Certainly none of us...that's up to levels of government. So whether we like it or not, they will make a determination and it will either go forward or not. It doesn't matter what any of us think about what 10 things we could see as being more important...so these arguments about whether *I* or *insert another commenter's name here* think it's good, bad or there are better things to do are completely and utterly irrelevant.

It's up to higher levels of government and if you have an opinion (be it good/bad or indifferent) then inform THEM so they can make an informed decision. Otherwise, it's like the old saying goes about complaining about a government when you didn't vote...

Rather than wasting a lot of time and frustration debating the merits of whether it should or should not happen (since many are firmly in one camp or the other) may I suggest focusing our discussion on the design and location aspects. After all the discussion at this point is purely theory since we don't know for sure this is going forward...

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Frankly, I can think of 10 other things I would rather see in the public realm than this.

Stadium is a popular topic. CFL in Halifax would be great. I agree. that said, I generally dont want the government spending my tax dollars owing and operating a stadium for 12 CFL games/year. if you want a stadium, Draw up some plans, make a business case, and try to fill more then 12 days. go seek funding. I wont bemoan you if some of it comes from my taxes. infact ill congratulate you for doing something to make Halifax better.

my point still stands. if you want something built to make this town better, get up and do something about it. untill you do, stop ragging on those who did.

[Ziobrop]

back to BOA Place.

generally pleased. sticking ships in buildings is always problematic as you loose a sense of scale. the St. Roch at the Vancouver maritime museum is housed in an A frame, which accommodates it nicely, but is very tight. The Proposed memorial hall is also a bit hokey if you ask me.

finally it would be nice to preserve the wave. - there certainly would be space in the re-developed square.



I was at the announcement, and the media kit (I also do halifaxshippingnews.ca) included 100pages of design and programing documentation. Sadly, its not all copyright cleared, so I can't post it, but it clearly lays out the plans in detail, so if something is unclear, i can go back to it.

[teddifax]

This seems to (I hope) clear something up for me. The original drawing looked like the boardwalk aspect didn't continue all around the water edge of this project, but looking at this one, it appears it does. That was my only concern and I believe it will be a fantastic and iconic addition to the waterfront. I just hope it does get built.

[beyeas]

Coolest "ship in a building" I have ever been to see was the Vasa (huge warship built in the early 1600s).

http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by teddifax

This seems to (I hope) clear something up for me. The original drawing looked like the boardwalk aspect didn't continue all around the water edge of this project, but looking at this one, it appears it does. That was my only concern and I believe it will be a fantastic and iconic addition to the waterfront. I just hope it does get built.

Totally! I love the huge, wide, boardwalk in the design. It's almost itself worth the project.

[Ziobrop]

The 2 most impressive ship museums I am aware of are both in the uk. The Mary rose museum echos the ships hull that is missing.


The Cutty Sark museum supports the ship in a dry dock with a glass roof at the waterline

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

T...The Mary rose museum echos the ships hull that is missing.

Love this one... there are some great time lapse photos of the Mary Rose Project

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

...
The Cutty Sark museum supports the ship in a dry dock with a glass roof at the waterline

This looks great from the inside... from some of the exterior vantage points, it looks like the ship is half-in/half-out of some weird bubble.. the shape of the glass enclosure doesn't really evoke water well in those cases.

[counterfactual]

They do cities and museums well in Europe, me thinks.

[CorbeauNoir]

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

War memorial musumes are not major tourist attractions, if you flew to any major city in the world would vising one of their war musumes even cross your mind to go to?

Couldn't possibly disagree more with this, especially after living and travelling through Europe. I've always strongly recommended visiting the Imperial War Museum - or one of its *many* satellite museums - to anyone I know who has visited London. And yes, in spite of your apparently obliviousness it's an immensely popular draw - it's one of the most extensive museum networks in England, you can't justify that for something that according to you nobody is interested in. That isn't even getting into the ship-based museums in Portsmouth; the HMS Victory is practically a pilgrimage site for the British. Not everyone who goes on vacation is interested in clubbing or lying on a beach the entire time.

[RoshanMcG]

Any news on this one? I gotta say, the wave is really popular, I can't see people taking to kindly of the thought of it being removed.

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of this building and would love to see it possibly get built, but I think the wave should find a way to be salvaged, or moved at the very least.

[teddifax]

What is the status of this one?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Haven't seen much online other than this article from last March:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/editori...lifax%E2%80%99

[Dmajackson]

Society seeks $22 million in funding for museum
Published March 24, 2017 - 6:21pm
Last Updated March 24, 2017 - 6:22pm

Artist’s rendering of the proposed Battle of the Atlantic Society museum on the Halifax waterfront. The society is asking the city for $22 million in funding for the project. (Facebook)

The Battle of the Atlantic Society is looking for $22 million from HRM to help fund a museum on Halifax’s waterfront.

The proposed facility, an experiential centre, will need provincial and federal funding as well in order to turn the idea into reality.

The society made a presentation to the community planning and economic development standing committee Thursday, asking for endorsement of the project, $22 million in funding, tax forgiveness and $500,000 for project office costs.

The total cost of the project is expected to be in the ballpark of $195 to $225 million. HRM’s contribution would be 10 per cent. Because the project is national, the provincial and federal governments would take on a larger percentage of the funding.

...

Read More at thechronicleherald.ca

[Keith P.]

I saw this article today. My initial thought was while it is certainly a nice-to-have, how can govts justify over $200 million for this when we are in such dire need of a replacement hospital and other far more important things? It is a good example of how the loudest squeaky-wheels tend to get what they want from the public purse instead of the most important priorities being dealt with by govt.